Community

The City of Pleasantville operates under a Council-Mayor form of government. The Mayor and 5 Council persons are elected at-large in non-partisan elections. The City Council acts as the policy making body for City Government.

The City has several boards and commissions that allow for citizen participation in the local government. Citizens who wish to volunteer their time and participate in local government should call the City Clerk’s office at 848-3316 or visit the City’s web site at discoverpleasantville.com. Regular City Council meetings are held on the third Monday of the month at 5:30 pm at 108 West Jackson in the Municipal Building.

History
Pleasantville was surveyed and established as a town on August 1, 1849 on land then owned by William Wesley Jordan. Previous to the ownership of Mr. Jordan, the land comprising the original town plot of Pleasantville changed hands for one horse and $30.

A petition for incorporation was filed in District Court on June 11, 1872 with an election subsequently held in which there were 46 votes in favor and 16 votes against.

The completion of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Line through Pleasantville in 1879 caused an increase in development and Pleasantville became one of the active business centers in Marion County and the principal shipping point between Knoxville and Des Moines.

The earliest population figures available begin in 1900 with 738 residents. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Pleasantville’s population was reported at approximately 1,700 residents.

The first school was built in the fall of 1847, and in 1868, the school district joined with the Masonic Lodge in building a three story brick building that remained a school facility until 1992.

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